Electronica has long been “used” by the American public as background music or dance-hall fodder. The evolution of the genre has brought about Miami, FL’s organicArma - an integrated, intellectual and playful group that invites listeners to experience electronic music for a new millennium. organicArma play electronic music unlike anyone else on the scene today. The band performs their music live on actual instruments, with all three members of the band serving multiple roles (composer, producer, arranger, and performer).
In an in depth interview, organicArma discuss their thoughts about music, reality and philosophy as band.
Q - “organicArma” - It is a very unique name. What is the meaning behind it?
A – phAxas: The name ‘organicArma’ is a reflects our philosophy. The ‘organic’ represents the natural world into which we are born. ‘Arma’ is our drive to build and create a physical society within the constructs of nature.
lhArma: organicArma can also be the brain - our organic tool.
dhArma: It’s how we seek to manage everything that cannot be controlled.
Q - As a band, who are your musical influences?
A - Trentmoller, Gui Borrato, Ritchie Hawtin (Plastikman), NIN, Villalobos, Kraftwerk, Underworld, Gorillaz, Bjork, Beastie Boys, Metallica, Depeche Mode, The Prodigy, Tricky, Beethoven, Mozart, Ravel & Orff.
Q - Are there any non-musical influences for your music, philosophers, etc. And if so - why?
A -
Herman Hesse - because he researched many theologies, compounded effective concepts, and described the importance of learning about oneself through the journey of dual characters.
Malaclypse The Younger - because of his utilization of humor as an intellectual and Discordian tool. He found the goddess and told us what he did to her.
Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche - because he questioned traditions and he expressed things are neither good nor evil nor right or wrong.
Q - You integrate the philosophy of Duality into your music. What is meaning of Duality and why it’s important to organicArma’s message?
A - The concept of Duality is to connect opposites. It combines the world of our imagination into reality. For some, imagination is utilized as an escape from “real” life. Duality helps bridge the gap of those worlds because it challenges us to take risks and play with fears in order to achieve that which seems impossible or unattainable.
Q - Your music video for “Discordia” features cartoon representations of famous political figures like George W. Bush and Hugo Rafael Chávez. Is there a political agenda or message behind organicArma’s music?
A - With Discordia, we explore how opposite ideologies can connect to form a common solution. For organicArma, Discordia is the science inside emotion. For this video we applied this theory to the differences and commonalities shared amongst world leaders. We specifically chose George w. Bush, Hugo Rafael Chávez, and Alvaro Uribe Vélez in order to present the scenario of each band member’s respective native country. Instead of being emotionally affected by an irrational focus on different ideals, through Discordia, there is the possibility of creating practical solutions that impact the world.
Q - With electronic music, there are so many ways to create. What programs and/or hardware do you use in the studio to produce you unique sound?
A - For composing, editing, arranging, recording and mixing we utilize Apple’s Logic Pro along with third party effect and instrument plugins by Arturia, Waves, SSL, Sound Toys, Camel Audio, UAD, and Native Instruments. Many of our instruments are actually software synths provided by Logic, which we engineer to achieve a precise sound. Our favorite hardware instruments are the Access Virus analog synthesizer and, for drum sounds, the Roland Vdrum brain. For vocoding and vocal effects we really like the Korg Kaos Pad KP3 and Antares plugins such as the Harmony Engine and the Duo.
Q - What is your songwriting process like? Does one member craft a song, is it collaborative, improvised?
A - Each song has a different leader and a different concept, which allows for all three members to be protagonists at different times. We pride ourselves on creating through an all-encompassing team effort. Each individual supplements the group’s concepts through their own skill set and philosophies. We all bring different ideas and methods from experience, psychology, philosophy, and literature to the table while combining our own individual musical abilities to produce our songs.
Q - How did organicArma meet and come together musically?
A - organicArma was conceived by dhArma in 2003. The concept for organicArma was born from the need to express art as an evolutionary purpose for mankind through the application of philosophy, linguistics, psychology, science, research and analysis, in order to transmit ideas with purpose and intent,” explains dhArma. The appropriate music mix came together in 2007 with three uniquely skilled band members committed to a unique musical concept. phAxas initially joined the group in 2005 as the band’s studio and live engineer. lhArma befriended dhArma in 2006 during an Apple Logic Course for aspiring music producers. Shortly after, he began to play acoustic bass for the band. After a history of adjustments and learning, all three evolved to become the voice and brains of organicArma.
Q – Unlike most electronic artists, I’ve heard that organicArma takes great pride in their ability to perform and recreate their music live. Why is this?
A - Previously programmed machines traditionally recreate electronic music. We believe that the human performance always give a fresh, spontaneous feeling to the music. Plus, we think music is more powerful and meaningful for human kind when it is played live and personally because we demonstrate to the audience how it is created. There are emotions and experiences that only take place in a live performance. We believe that electronic music is the realm of sound where the unknown is present, where new ideas and concepts bring new emotions and lead us to the future.
Q - What can fans expect at a typical organicArma show?
A - Fans can expect to be immersed in a turbulent sea of music, ideas, action and art. Our show can be a personal lounge experience at home or a danceable-style live concert show featuring state of the art instruments-stations, theatrical costumes and compatible on-stage lights and visuals. Our show is a flamboyant production featuring live instrumentation that inspires creativity and innovation.
Q - Your upcoming EP, Discordia, has tracks remixed by DJ Spooky and King Unique. Are there other artists with whom you’d like to collaborate with for a remix?
A - Trentemoller, Herbert, Timbaland, Hawtin, Prodigy, Orbital, Tricky & Reznor.
Q - Right now, what are the top 5 tracks on your iPod?
A - lhArma: Molotov -”Fiel Por Feo”, Trentemoller -”Flamingo remix (Tomboy)”, Fluke -”Switch/Twitch”, Easy Star All-Stars -”Money(the dub side of the moon)”, Underworld -”Dark And Long”.
phAxas: Thom Yorke -”Skip Divided (Modeselektor Remix)”; Spieltape- ”Lonely Places I’ve Never Been”, Swayzak -”Silent Luv”, Danger -”11h30”, Portishead -”We Carry On.
dhArma: The Knife -”We Share Our Mother’s Health (Trentemoller Remix), Fluke -”Another Kind of Blues”, Tricky -”Christian Sands”, Deadmau5 - ”Sometimes Things Get, Whatever”, Ricardo Villalobos -”Dexter”.
Q - What is next for OrganicArma?
A - Our music is very cinematographic. We see ourselves composing scores and soundtracks for films. Also, we are in the process of writing and illustrating a comic book that would document the stories behind the concepts of each organicArma song. Additionally, we plan on performing at high profile festivals and top universities. Back home in Miami, we would like to build a foundation for a movement by curating art installations and hosting music & multimedia events at our headquarters ,”The Awarehouse.”
Q - Lastly, any messages for your fans?
A - Question reality as presented. Create your own organic reality each time you contemplate man’s existence in nature. These are interesting and complicated times. Where there is discord, there is always an opportunity. Understand what you like, what you dislike, and what you seek to learn. In organicArma we create our own questions, emotions and realities. In organicArma we live our own questions, emotions and realities.
-
organicArma’s new Ep, “Discordia” will be available online on February 3rd, 2009 and includes the original version of the song “Discordia,” as well as remixes by DJ Spooky, King Unique and band member phAxas
Listen to a free stream of “Discordia” - Here -
See and hear more organicArma at - www.organicArma.com -
“At the same time that Hendrix was making “Electric Ladyland” and the Rolling Stones were making “Their Satanic Majesties Request” the Jamaican scene of artists and producers being led by Trojan Records was making material that was just as complex, and even more advanced. For me, early dub and instrumental music out of Jamaica showed how non European, and non-industrialized countries could use technology in completely unexpected ways. For the 40th Anniversary of Trojan Records, I went through their archives and looked for songs that I thought reflected the diverse styles of Trojan, and its long relationship to underground culture worldwide. One could argue that dub is the most influential style of music in the world, and Trojan’s archives have some of the best material around. Period. It was hard to get everything - there was so much in their archive, that the only way I could bring myself to face the overload was to work with bits and pieces, and that’s what “Creation Rebel” is about - taking hold of music history to show how creativity made Jamaica the loudest island in the world.” –/Paul Miller a/k/a DJ Spooky
What better way to honor the 40th Anniversary of the seminal Trojan Label than with a groundbreaking new release from DJ Spooky? Last year brought forth In Fine Style: DJ Spooky Presents, which quickly became the Must Have reggae collection for fans and critics alike. A pioneer whose style and substance is like no other, DJ Spooky returns with a new and equally revolutionary release.
The follow up to 2006’s highly acclaimed In Fine Style: DJ Spooky Presents 50,000 Volts of Trojan Records, the Creation Rebel: Trojan Remixed project is a mash-up of various sounds and styles from the rich and deep Trojan Records archives. On this collection, DJ Spooky links current music production with older techniques pioneered by Trojan catalog artists such as King Tubby and U-Roy. By exploring the art of remixing, sampling, turntablism - all of the elements that can be traced back to dub – Spooky has created a mini history of electronic music. Everybody says techno started in Detroit, and hip-hop came out of NY. Creation Rebel shows that maybe Jamaica got there first!
DJ Spooky’s reputation has been firmly established as a leading international DJ, writer, musician, multi-media artist and critical figure in mainstreaming the DJ-as-artist concept. He spent last year touring the world presenting D.W. Griffith’s 1915 controversial film The Birth of a Nation as an interactive video remix experience called “Rebirth of a Nation,” which has been hailed as “a new experience in the evolution of art cinema and activism.” Internationally known for over the past 10 years, his resume includes numerous albums, books, film scores and lectures as well as collaborations with countless artists including Yoko Ono, Slayer, Thurston Moore, Public Enemy, Lee Perry and more.
Press Quotes:
“DJ Spooky has been producing beat-heavy electronic music for more than a decade. From his early solo trip-hop efforts to his more recent collaborations with jazz giants, Spooky has always approached music from multiple angles at once. He has the chops of a musician, the genre-blending ear of a disc jockey and the conceptual vision of a performance artist. It was therefore no surprise when Trojan Records, a reggae label entering its 40th year, asked DJ Spooky to put together a mix showcasing tracks from its massive archives. When assembling In Fine Style, one of several mixes commissioned to mark the Trojan birthday, Miller found countless parallels between the Jamaican reggae scene of the 1960s and ’70s and the digital mashup ecosystem of today.” -Wired June 2007
“From the label’s archives, DJ Spooky selected mostly lesser-known tracks with rhythms so staticky and murky they’re almost vicious. He also likes wacky lyrics and the free-associating disc-jockey voice-overs that led to hip-hop. In Fine Style goes bouncing and squelching along, not as a reggae history but as a swaying, sustained daze.” -New York Times July 2006
“DJ Spooky has an intimate knowledge of how Jamaican music developed—the covers, the dubs, the versions—and he lays it all down for you to hear, with 36 tracks of the world’s greatest music for the mind and body. It is most excellent and most enlightening and roots, natty roots.” -GQ Magazine July 2006
Creation Rebel: Trojan Re-Mixed, Re-Visioned, Re-versioned Track Listing
1 - Creation Rebel - DJ Spooky meets Mad Professor & Rob Swift
2 - Mr. Brown Remix - Bob Marley
3 - Revolution Disco Dub - DJ Spooky meets Tapper Zukie
4 - No No No Mix - Dawn Penn
5 - Dis Poem Burns Bablyon - The Observers meets Mutabaruka
6 - Under Mi Sensi Remix - Barrington Levy
7 - East of the River Nile Remix - Augustus Pablo
8 - Dis Poem Burns Babylon v2 - The Upsetters meets Mutabaruka
9 - Freedom Reign - DJ Spooky presents Michael Rose
10 - Soul Rebel Remix - Bob Marley
11 - Under Mi Sleng Teng Remix - Wayne Smith
12 - Mr. Brown (A Cappella) - Bob Marley
13 - Babylon Burning Dub – DJ Spooky vs The Observers
14 - Dub of the Traveler (Bonus Beats) - Scientist
PLAY
